The best way to start a New Year is a good holiday followed by a great run. January is a great time for an early run up the iconic Putty Road, the best five star route out of Sydney for our members in their MX-5 with their tops tucker away behind the seats.

Q: Why start early from McGraths Hill at 7:00am?

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A: The prospect of less traffic to disrupt an otherwise beautiful run in the cool morning air.

The run is a Way Point Run so you drive at whatever pace you feel most comfortable with the group waiting at each waypoint. There are no side roads on the Putty Road and our first Way Point will be 170kms from Maccas in gravel layby after the 16 km run of the awesome gorges for a 10 minutes stop to regroup before we break out into the Lower Hunter Valley.

The route to brekkie in Hunter Valley Gardens takes in the wide sweeps and turns of the scenic Milbrodale Road to Broke then a run on the Singleton/Broke Road to Pokolbin. There are two right turns followed by one left turn on the route from McGraths Hill to breakfast.

After breakfast everyone has the option of spending a day in the vineyards or a drive home on back roads through Cessnock to Freemans Waterhole for the M1 to arrive at Hornsby around the middle of the day then split for home.

Start and Way Points for your GPS:

McDonalds corner of Groves Avenue and Windsor Roads McGraths Hill

A gravel makeshift layby in the bush beside Putty Road after the gorges that start with the sign “Caution 16km of winding road” and before we break out into the open farmland of the Lower Hunter Valley – no feature to log onto in your GPS search ‘satellite view”

2. Broke General Store – Corner Wollombi & Singleton/Broke Roads

3. Hunter Valley Gardens – 2090 Broke Road, Pokolbin

ENSURE THAT YOU START WITH A FULL TANK - SERVOS BOTH BEFPORE AND AFTER MACCAS ON WINDSOR ROAD